


Violins and Fireflies

by as_with_a_sunbeam



Category: 19th Century CE RPF, Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: 1803, F/M, Fluff, Romance, The Grange - Freeform, garden party
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-07
Updated: 2017-04-07
Packaged: 2018-10-15 21:49:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,738
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10558242
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/as_with_a_sunbeam/pseuds/as_with_a_sunbeam
Summary: The Hamilton's host a garden party at the Grange, but Hamilton is having trouble getting in the spirit. Until Eliza steals him away, that is. The two enjoy a stolen moment of romance away from the crowd.





	

A servant passed by on the narrow garden path with a tray of champagne, and Hamilton quickly changed his empty glass for a full one. James Kent didn’t pause for a moment in his lecture on the importance of judicial impartiality. Hamilton nodded agreeably when the man met his eyes, then took a healthy sip of his drink.

Gouverneur Morris, standing directly across from him, caught his eye next and smirked before looking pointedly at his glass. Hamilton raised his glass subtly as if to toast his long- time friend. He was on at least his fourth glass now, very possibly his fifth; he’d lost track. He felt pleasantly tipsy and not the least bit sorry for it.

He’d meant to invite a few close friends for an intimate dinner and agreeable conversation out in his garden. Instead, as it always seemed to with him, the whole thing had blown up into a full-fledged political event. At least the setting was still enjoyable, he consoled himself. The first garden party of the summer at the Grange was complete with strategically placed lamps and decorative torches to provide illumination after sunset and a band sitting out behind the tree line to provide music without drawing the focus from the conversations.

The sun was sinking fast, painting the sky a beautiful pink and purple hue even as the first stars of the evening began to peek out of the growing dark blue. Dusk had finally brought an end to the intolerable heat of the day. He breathed in the aroma of grass and blooming flowers and let himself relax.

“Wouldn’t you agree, Mr. Hamilton?” Kent asked.

His name caught his attention, which had been wandering for some time.

“Certainly, Judge,” he answered, hoping that was the right answer. He glanced at Morris, who nodded, still smirking, then winked at him.

“Isn’t that Mr. Livingston?” Kent said, his attention now focused somewhere across the garden.

Hamilton was half tempted to ask which one, as in his social circle asking after a Livingston was something akin to asking after Mr. Smith, but decided to simply nod. “Yes, I think it is.” It was statistically likely, at the very least.

“Oh, how lovely, I must go and say hello.” Kent started off towards the group of men gathered a few yards away.

“Are you doing all right, Hammy?” Morris asked softly.

Hamilton inhaled deeply and nodded. “I’m doing wonderfully, Mr. Morris.”

“Feeling no pain, I’d wager,” Morris retorted with a friendly bark of laughter.

“None whatsoever,” Hamilton agreed, sipping again at his glass of champagne.

“Well, enjoy yourself fully, Ham. If you want to sneak off to lie down later, just say the word, and I’ll cover for you.”

He’d have resented the implication of drunkenness from almost anyone else. From Morris, he knew the offer was as sincere as it was non-judgmental. “Thank you, my dear friend, but I don’t think that will be necessary. It takes more to put me under than it used to.” He patted his waistline, eliciting another bark of laughter. “I’m not intending to embarrass myself tonight.”

“No one ever is,” Morris replied fondly. He took a limping step forward, his wooden leg unsteady on the uneven ground of the garden path, and clapped Hamilton firmly on the shoulder. “You know how much everyone here loves you, right Hammy? Even if we often are as boring as a brick wall compared to that stunning intellect of yours.”

Hamilton chuckled and placed his hand over Morris’s warmly. “I do know. A man couldn’t ask for better friends than those with whom I’ve been blessed.”

“Shall we go see which Livingston our dear Judge was so eager to greet?” Morris asked with his patented wide grin.

“Yes, let’s,” Hamilton agreed easily.

Just as Morris turned and began to step away, Hamilton felt someone’s hands land squarely on his hips. He jumped a little and craned his head around to see Eliza standing behind him. Eliza lifted a hand to place her finger to her lips, then replaced her hand on his hip to slowly pull him backwards away from the party. As they moved closer to the woods, the violin music grew slightly louder.

When they made it to the tree line, Hamilton finally turned around to face his wife. She was grinning at him in the fading light. Before he could say anything, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him passionately.

“Hi,” he whispered.

“Hi,” she whispered back, still smiling.

“Have you kidnapped me for a reason?” he asked with a teasing smile.

“Yes,” she said simply. “And I have successfully seen that reason through.”

“You stole me away just to kiss me?”

“Do you have an objection?”

“Yes, I do in fact. Why have you only started this practice now?”

She laughed, then leaned up to kiss him again. “You’re looking particularly handsome tonight,” she told him.

“I’m flattered, and I’m sure you look as ravishing as ever, though I must say I’m not sure how you can see me at the moment. It’s gotten quite dark.”

“You might see me better if you wore your glasses like you should,” she teased. Then she added, “I was watching you earlier while I was talking with Angelica. I was waiting for the herd around you to disperse a bit before I spirited you away.”

“That’s positively predatory, Mrs. Hamilton.”

“Oh, yes,” she agreed. “Like a lioness in Africa.”

A flash of light caught his eye. He froze, watchfully waiting, and saw another blink of light in the same general area. “Honey, look,” he whispered, touching her arm gently. “Fireflies.”

He could see her turn in the fast fading light, and he bent down to place his champagne glass on the ground before stepping closer to her. When she leaned back against him, he wrapped his arms around her tightly, pressing a kiss against her temple. She sighed and placed a hand over his. “This is romantic,” she whispered.

“Mm,” he hummed in agreement. He began to sway a little to the music emanating from somewhere close by. She turned again in his arms, pressing closer so that her head rested on his shoulder as they continued to sway. “We should escape from parties more often.”

“People are probably looking for us,” Eliza muttered against him some minutes later.

“People can wait for a few more minutes,” he retorted. “I’m not done yet.”

She squeezed him and whispered, “Good.”

They stayed, swaying gently to the violins, alone in the firefly light until it was well and truly dark. The musicians paused, and the cricket song seemed to swell to full the silence.  Hamilton gave his wife a deep, lingering kiss and began at last to pull away. They set off back towards the garden together, Eliza’s arm tucked around his and their hips bumping lightly as they walked.

“There you two are,” John Church said, the first to spot their return. Angelica turned around to see them, too.

“Where have you been?” Angelica asked. “Robert Troup was trying leave half of an hour ago. No one could find you.”

“Oh, that’s terrible,” Eliza said, doing a good job of sounding contrite in Hamilton’s opinion. He fought a smile.

 “We were just checking on the musicians. I’m sorry we were missed,” Hamilton added. “I didn’t realize people would be leaving so early.”

Angelica raised a skeptical brow, and cocked her head towards the front of the house.

“At least go see him off. He’s been waiting.”

He reluctantly allowed Eliza to be pulled away and made his way towards the front of the house. Sure enough, his old college roommate was seated on his front steps with his eyes closed. As he approached, Robert’s eyes popped open.

“Ham! There you are,” he exclaimed. “I was beginning to worry. Morris said you’d been imbibing; I wondered if Dionysus had lured you off with the promise of better company and spirits.”

“Please, stop. Your wit has me overcome with laughter,” Hamilton replied sarcastically, though his smile was genuine.

“Where were you?”

“Eliza tempted me into the woods for a kiss,” Hamilton admitted with a grin in the dark.

 “Of course, Aphrodite! How foolish of me,” Troup laughed merrily. “Who else, with you involved?” 

Hamilton rolled his eyes and changed the subject. “You’re leaving me already?”

Troup struggled into a standing position, his great bulk making him pant and leaving him out of breath once he succeeded. He dabbed at his forehead with a handkerchief despite the cooler night air, and answered, “I am, I’m afraid. I need to get home. I’m a bit tired.”

“Are you all right, Robert?” Hamilton asked softly, concerned as he watched his friend struggling. “Do you want to stay over? I could have the guest room made up for you.”

“I’m fine, Ham, just fine,” Troup assured him. He reached out and engulfed Hamilton in a great bear hug, squeezing him so tightly it was almost uncomfortable. Hamilton responded by raising his own arms, although he had no hope of getting them all the way around his friend. “Couldn’t leave without saying goodbye, is all.”

“Have a safe journey home, my dearest friend,” Hamilton wished as his old friend climbed unsteadily into his waiting carriage.

After seeing Troup off, he wandered around back once more and was quickly surrounded by more friends. They were having a lively discussion, something about the newly acquired western territory. (How desperately he wanted to ask Jefferson where it was written in the constitution that the President had the power to unilaterally double the size of the country- not that he was against the decision, of course. He just wanted to wipe that smug smile off the Virginian’s face.) He tried to focus. He loved his friends, and he knew he shouldn’t let his odd, solitary moods sour his interactions with them. 

But it was hard to focus when his mind kept traveling back to that stolen moment with his beautiful wife. He glanced over at Eliza, entertaining a group of women nearby. Her pale blue dress and fair skin seemed to glow in the torch light. As if she sensed his gaze, her eyes flickered over to him. He smiled adoringly. If it were up to him, he’d happily spend the rest of his life with her in his arms, swaying to the violins in the firefly light.

**Author's Note:**

> Pure, sweet fluffy romance for your enjoyment. (Just don't think too much about why everyone is so worried for Ham's well being, why he's drinking more than usual, and why he and Eliza might want to be alone. Sorry- I'm ruining it, aren't I?) 
> 
> Thanks for reading! Feedback is always appreciated, as always :)


End file.
